FARA Charity & Shops

What FARA Charity & Shops does

FARA Foundation (registered charity no. 1139349; company limited by guarantee no. 07432706) is a UK charity founded in 1991 by Jane Nicholson following media coverage of state-run orphanage conditions in Ceaușescu-era Romania. The charity exists to fund and shape the work of its sister organisation Fundația FARA, which delivers 18 social programmes supporting vulnerable children, families, youth at risk, children with disabilities, and adults with learning disabilities in Romania. Operating governance sits with a Board of Trustees, with CEO Libby Gordon, COO Raphe Phelan, HR Director Felicia Balasel, and Development and External Engagement Director Emma Ashby; King Charles III serves as Royal Patron.

The organisation's economic engine is a UK charity-retail operation of 39 shops across 26 London communities, run through wholly-owned trading subsidiary FARA Enterprises Ltd. The shop estate spans general charity retail, 15 specialist Kids shops, two bookshops, a homeware store, Retromania London (vintage and designer), and FARA Fine Art. Donated goods are sold in-store and online via shop.faracharity.org plus eBay, Amazon, and Depop marketplaces. Retail, individual donations (suggested £20/month recurring), Gift Aid recoveries (adds 25% on eligible UK donations), corporate partnerships including stock donation schemes with corporate tax relief, and challenge-event fundraising via Enthuse together fund programme grants to Fundația FARA in Romania. Technology is entirely third-party: Beacon (supporter database and donation processing), Enthuse (event fundraising), and Nisyst ChariotWeb (point-of-sale). No proprietary technology, API, or app exists.

Programme reach in Romania includes 1,165 children cared for annually, 290 adults with learning disabilities supported, 44,200 hot lunches provided annually, and over 10,000 beneficiaries helped since 1991. Therapy services operate across three centres in Bucharest and Suceava; Tackling Poverty Through Education runs in six rural schools in Suceava with 300 children assisted; youth services have helped 320 young people into employment over a 12-year window; and Homes for Life residential support has yielded 30% of inhabitants moving into their own homes. Romania-side delivery relies on 300+ staff in care, education, therapy, and operations roles.

Name

FARA Charity & Shops

Legal name

FARA Foundation

Website

https://faracharity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FARA Foundation is a UK-registered charity funding vulnerable children, families, and adults in Romania via Fundația FARA, operating 39 charity shops across 26 London communities plus online marketplaces, financed by retail sales, individual donations, Gift Aid, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charity Retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (4581), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331), Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Variety Stores (General Variety & Five-and-Dime) (CRAEAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban/Neighborhood Dollar Stores (Small-Box) (CRAEAAAB), Dollar Health, Beauty & Household Essentials Stores (CRAEAAAI), Dollar Party, Seasonal & Celebrations Stores (CRAEAAAJ)

Keywords

• Charity retail
• Donated goods resale
• Second-hand clothing
• Community fundraising
• Social welfare programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Teddington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charity Retail Shops: 39 charity shops across 26 London communities selling donated goods including clothing, books, homeware, vintage items, fine art, and children's items. Revenue generated from retail sales funds Romanian programmes.
2. Online Sales: E-commerce platform selling curated donated items; also sells on eBay, Amazon, and Depop marketplace platforms.
3. Individual Donations: Monthly recurring donations (suggested £20/month), one-time donations, birthday/wedding donations, and legacy bequests. Gift Aid boosts donations by 25% for UK taxpayers.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Stock donations from corporate partners, employee volunteering, collaborative projects, and monetary grants. Partners include Textiles2030 signatories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FARA Charity & Shops operates a network of 39 charity shops across 26 London communities that resell donated goods (clothing, books, homeware, vintage items, fine art, and children's items) to generate funds for its sister charity Fundația FARA in Romania. The UK retail operation is supported by an online e-commerce platform and marketplace listings on eBay, Amazon, and Depop, alongside monetary donations, corporate partnerships, and fundraising events. All proceeds fund social programmes supporting vulnerable children, families, and adults in Romania.

Product overview

FARA Charity & Shops operates a network of 39 charity shops across 26-27 London communities as its primary fundraising mechanism. The retail operation includes general stores, 15 specialist Kids shops, two bookshops, a homeware store, and Retromania London (vintage and designer). An e-commerce platform (shop.faracharity.org) extends reach alongside marketplace presences on eBay, Amazon, and Depop. The shops sell carefully selected donated goods including clothing, accessories, books, homeware, fine art, toys, and vintage items. All proceeds fund FARA's sister charity, Fundaţia FARA, which provides social support services in Romania including therapy for children with disabilities, Tackling Poverty Through Education programmes, youth services, and Homes for Life for adults with learning disabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Retromania London: Specialist retro, vintage and designer shop offering vintage dresses, hats, bags, scarves, menswear and memorabilia.
• FARA Fine Art
• FARA Kids

Products and services

• FARA Charity Shops (Physical Retail) FARA operates 39 charity shops across 26 London communities selling donated second-hand goods including clothing, accessories, books, homeware, toys, and vintage items. The shops are staffed by employees and volunteers, with proceeds funding FARA's charitable programmes in Romania.
• FARA Online Shop E-commerce platform selling curated donated items including fine art, designer bargains, and general merchandise. Also operates on eBay, Amazon, and Depop marketplaces to extend reach beyond UK physical locations.
• Retromania London FARA's specialist vintage and designer boutique offering retro clothing, accessories, memorabilia, vintage dresses, hats, bags, scarves, and menswear.
• FARA Fine Art Fine art collection offering donated artworks by artists of various recognition levels at accessible prices.
• FARA Kids Shops Dedicated children's shops offering clothing, toys, books, and nursery equipment from baby to teen.
• FARA Bookshops Specialist bookshops offering fiction, children's literature, and collectable titles.
• FARA Homeware Specialist homeware shop offering linens, pictures, and tested electrical items.
• Gift Aid Donation Programme Programme accepting donated goods (clothing, books, toys, homeware) from UK donors for resale in FARA shops, with Gift Aid processing adding 25% tax uplift for eligible donations.
• Recurring and One-Time Monetary Donations Monetary donation programme offering monthly recurring donations (suggested £20/month), one-time donations, birthday/wedding donations, and legacy bequests, with Gift Aid eligibility for UK taxpayers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,165 children cared for annually across all programmes
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• London College of Fashion (LCF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Annual FARAxLCF collaboration challenging fast fashion by having design students reimagine donated denim and unsellable artwork into wearable fashion pieces. Now in its third year (2025 Denim ReFramed), the partnership promotes sustainability and has generated significant media coverage.
• Fundatia FARAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991FARA UK funds and supports Fundatia FARA (Romanian sister charity), which transforms lives of vulnerable children, young people and families in Romania. Fundatia FARA is one of the largest NGO care providers in Romania, running 18 programmes including therapy centres, Homes for Life, and Tackling Poverty Through Education.
• Corporate Partners (Unnamed)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate partners donate stock to FARA shops, providing employee volunteering opportunities, collaborative projects, and monetary grants. Partners benefit from enhanced sustainability credentials, CSR objectives, stock clearance, and corporate tax relief on donated stock.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Scope: Scope operates UK charity shops selling donated goods to fund disability services. Its disability-focused beneficiary mission and retail-funding engine make it directly comparable to FARA's mix of disability programmes and shop-based fundraising.
• British Heart Foundation: BHF runs one of the UK's largest charity-shop estates selling donated furniture, clothing and homeware to fund medical research. Like FARA, BHF combines a dense UK retail footprint with online and marketplace resale channels, and depends on donation supply for inventory.
• Shelter: Shelter runs a UK charity-shop network selling donated clothing, books and homeware to fund housing-advice and homelessness services. Its high-street retail arm combined with a frontline beneficiary mission mirrors FARA's funding-and-delivery split.
• Cancer Research UK: CRUK operates a national network of charity shops selling donated clothing, books and homeware to fund cancer research, with online and superstore formats. The retail-plus-donation model, multi-format specialist shops, and London presence make it a direct operational peer to FARA.
• Barnardo's: Barnardo's operates more than 600 UK charity shops selling donated goods to fund children's services, combining retail income with corporate partnerships and donations. The children-focused beneficiary mission and UK-retail funding engine make it a closely comparable peer.
• Marie Curie: Marie Curie operates a UK charity-shop network selling donated goods to fund end-of-life care. The combination of high-street retail income funding direct beneficiary care makes it a strong operational peer to FARA.
• Sue Ryder: Sue Ryder runs charity shops across the UK selling donated goods to fund palliative and neurological care. Its combination of retail fundraising and direct care delivery — alongside online resale — closely mirrors FARA's structure of UK retail funding overseas care programmes.
• Oxfam GB: Oxfam operates the UK's largest charity-shop network selling donated second-hand clothing, books and homeware, funded by retail income alongside donations — the same hybrid retail-plus-donation model FARA uses. Both organisations rely on high-street charity shops across London and beyond to fund overseas development programmes.
• Mind (the mental health charity): Mind operates charity shops across the UK raising funds for mental-health services through donated-goods resale. Its specialist and high-street shop formats, online channels, and donation-plus-retail funding model closely parallel FARA's structure.

Regional players

• Royal Trinity Hospice: Royal Trinity Hospice runs a network of London charity shops selling donated second-hand goods to fund hospice care. Its London-centric footprint and mix of general and specialist vintage formats make it a close regional peer to FARA's London estate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@faracharity/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/FARAcharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fara-charity
• Instagraminstagram.com/faracharityshops
• TikToktiktok.com/@faracharityshops

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FARA Charity & Shops